


falling slowly

by 1inchash



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:48:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1inchash/pseuds/1inchash
Summary: where eris (byleth) coaxes dimitri to fall asleep after he feels on edge from listening in on the flame emperor's conversation with their allies.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 7





	falling slowly

**Author's Note:**

> hi i just wrote this really fast cause i wanted to procrastinate my summer work and then it bit me in the ass cause i couldn't focus on my work without finishing it, SOOO this is just written really quickly haha dont mind me, hope you liked it!

**part one: white clouds**

**chapter eleven: the throne of knowledge**

(pegasus moon)

eris remembers noticing the first time dimitri nodding off during class.

it was during the last day of the guardian moon. she remembers not saying anything about it because she figured he was just worn out and tired from all of his studies, fighting, and other unknown princely duties, but she didn’t think it would eventually become a common occurrence. this has been the fifth time she’s caught him spacing out this week. after eavesdropping on the flame emperor and their subordinates, he’s been extra on edge and spacey.

“i just don’t know what to do about it,” dedue sighs worriedly, an unfamiliar tinge of distress ringing through his voice, “i’ve never seen his highness like this before.”

“i’m not sure i’m used to this behavior either,” eris agrees.

“perhaps you could persuade him? it seems like his highness has taken a liking to you, professor,” dedue suggests, recalling the way dimitri would stand on the sidelines, watching eris train her technique for hours tirelessly. dimitri would later admit to dedue that when he watches eris fight, it looked like a timeless dance filled with passion and elegant flare. dedue had always appreciated eris’s skills, but it always seemed like dimitri was ensnared in a spell, stuck in a dimension where time stopped completely.

eris nods her head, “i’ll give it a shot. i’m not sure if he actually would be persuaded by me, though.”

“just trying is enough, professor.”

-

dimitri finds himself looking at the dagger that the flame emperor dropped a couple of weeks ago when he and eris were listening in on the enemy’s conversation. this was the same dagger he gifted edelgard when they went their separate ways when they were younger.

he clenches his fist around the handle of the dagger in anger, unable to deal with the knowledge that comes with finding it. if this dagger was on the flame emperor’s body, then that meant that edelgard was the flame emperor. that meant that his suspicions of their uncle, lord arundel, were correct, and it meant that the imperial empire might have something to do with the evil that has been going around.

his heart aches in both rage and melancholy, enraged that there could be people this vile in the world and disappointed that his trusted family members would be capable of harboring such evil intentions. especially edelgard, the one who taught him how to enjoy his life and endlessly bossed him into a strong and capable boy when he was younger. he throws the dagger angrily, accidentally sending it towards the wall where it accurately stabs through a map of fodlan, right at the imperial empire. dimitri sighs and takes the dagger out of the wall, running his fingers over the slit of the cloth map. he will avenge his parents, his friends, his loved ones, and the innocent people of duscur.

he’ll fight anyone in order to do so.

dimitri places the dagger back into his desk drawer and takes a seat on his desk, his thoughts running ruthlessly through his mind. it’ll be another sleepless night for him.

as he begins studying over his sloppily written notes on the algebra of the preciseness of shooting a bow and arrow, there’s a firm knock on his door. dimitri sighs, sliding his chair back to get up. it must be dedue again. dedue has been lecturing him about getting proper sleep ever since dedue noticed him spacing off during lecture.

dimitri opens the door, bracing himself for another stoic lecture on the importance of sleep, when he finds eris instead. a look of surprise finds his way to his face, “oh, professor? what are you doing here so late?”

“i was send on a mission to make sure you had some proper rest tonight,” eris replies, holding up the pot of hot tea in her right hand, “care for some chamomile tea?”

“was this dedue’s bidding?” dimitri opens the door wider and steps to the side, welcoming eris in.

eris nods, “he’s worried about you, you know.”

“i’m afraid i know that better than anyone else,” dimitri laughs almost bitterly, “i appreciate the thought, but i can’t help but feel suffocated by his watch sometimes.”

“something on your mind?” eris asks, pouring tea into a cup and passing it to him. dimitri takes it and takes a quick sip, shrugging, “you could say that…”

eris frowns, “i wished i could pry open that mind of yours, dimitri.”

dimitri laughs, placing the cup down on his desk, “i wished you could, too. it’d sure be easier than talking about it. my mind is like a whirlwind of troubling thoughts these days. i’m not sure if i can even think straight anymore.”

"it's alright, you don't have to talk about it if it's hard for you to."

eris holds onto dimitri's arm gently, causing dimitri to look at her in surprise. she gives him a gentle smile, "let's get you to bed, dimitri. let your mind rest from all the turmoil.”

dimitri gets lost in her expression, never seeing such a beautiful and alluring smile such as hers. this must be what sailors mean when they describe sirens, where they exude an intoxicating charm that lures the mind into an empty, blank slate. eris helps dimitri take off his knight’s coat and ushers him into the bed, taking a seat beside him with her legs swinging off the bedside. she keeps her hand placed on his shoulder, giving him a sense of comfort.

there’s a hint of chamomile in the air. he doesn’t remember the last time he’s felt so serene.

“my father used to tell me that working too much in the present is detrimental to the future,” eris hums, breaking the warm silence. as dimitri looks at her face, he notices her features soften. her familiar eyes grow a bit nostalgic.

“it’s strange to think that you’re the one lecturing me about harming my future instead of dedue.”

eris laughs, “even he needs a break sometimes.”

dimitri gives her a genuine smile before he closes his eyes and sighs, “if only time could stop right here. if only i had the power do away with all of these horrible thoughts in my head. if only…”

“if only you’d focus on clearing your mind for the night,” eris butts in, moving her hand from his shoulder to the tufts of his sunshine yellow hair, running her fingers through the neglected locks. dimitri opens his eyes abruptly, only to lock his eye contact with hers. he feels his cheeks slowly burning as he feels like she’s looking right through his irises and into his soul, analyzing every nook and cranny of his deepest, darkest thoughts.

dimitri looks away, ashamed. he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to clear his mind for the night. the dark thoughts will always plague him until he gets a final answer to all of his questions. he won’t rest until he gets his revenge. the serene feeling he felt with eris was only a fleeting moment. nothing’s ever enough to sooth his vexed soul.

but as eris keeps her warmth against his scalp, he feels his eyes naturally falling on their own. he feels sleep taking over his body, slowly numbing his thoughts, slowly bringing him into a peaceful lull of nothingness.

as eris watches dimitri fall into a deep slumber, she smiles to herself. she feels herself warming up to him the more she spends time with him. she feels herself falling for him. falling slowly.


End file.
